tdeane,Do you mind telling me if that is an aluminum pan you are using to make your fresh mozzarella? I want to try to make the mozzarella in the next few days. I purchased the raw milk today and have the other ingredients. Hopefully my mozzarella will turn out okay.Thanks for all the information.Norma

You should use a stainless steel pot but I've never had any problem using aluminum. You should make your mozzarella soon though because you want the milk to be as fresh as possible. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask and please let us know how it turns out.

tdeane,If you don't mind me asking, what kind of pan were you using when you posted these pictures? There is a great country store only 5 minutes away from me and they get their raw milk in everyday. Their price is 3.99 a gallon. How does that sound compared to your prices? I plan on making the fresh mozzarella tomorrow and I will post pictures if my mozzarella turns out okay. The date on the raw milk says use by 12/12/09. Thanks for telling me it should be used as soon as possible. Thanks again for helping me in this process.Norma

What temp is the water when you start stretching the moz? That's the one thing that has kept me from trying to make my own as I poorly tolerate hot water with my hands...

Terry can chime in when he gets time, but for me it's 160-180ish I believe (don't really measure anymore). You want it just warm enough to melt, but not so hot that it melts away too much fat. I have also found that fresher curd melts at lower temps. Same goes for stretching the curd btw-too much aggressive handling really ruins it.

tdeane,I want to thank you so much for this recipe. For my first time making fresh mozzarella I think it turned out well. Will post pictures this evening if I have time.I just got to taste the fresh mozzarella and it was really great! I made half a batch of what you posted. My stainless steel kettle wasnít big enough to hold the two gallons of milk, so I used my big anodized aluminum kettle. It worked out okay. I really wasnít sure how much kosher salt to add, so I just added 2 teaspoons. It seems to taste good like that. I would like you to look at these pictures when you have time and let me know if I did anything wrong. I think I stretched the one ball to far, because if you look at the one ball it doesnít look as smooth as the other two. I was also wondering if you can freeze this mozzarella? I would really like to try it on my pizzas Tuesday, but am afraid to keep it that long. I am going to make some Caprese Salad tomorrow, because I love your recipe for the fresh mozzarella..I admire you for making your own mozzarella to put on your pizzas. It didnít take really long, but there were a lot of dishes to clean up. From the time started getting everything together until finished takes awhile. I also had to clean up my floor because when I was stretching it, I guess the whey dripped on my floor. Thank you very much for the recipe.Norma

tdeane,I want to thank you so much for this recipe. For my first time making fresh mozzarella I think it turned out well. Will post pictures this evening if I have time.I just got to taste the fresh mozzarella and it was really great! I made half a batch of what you posted. My stainless steel kettle wasnít big enough to hold the two gallons of milk, so I used my big anodized aluminum kettle. It worked out okay. I really wasnít sure how much kosher salt to add, so I just added 2 teaspoons. It seems to taste good like that. I would like you to look at these pictures when you have time and let me know if I did anything wrong. I think I stretched the one ball to far, because if you look at the one ball it doesnít look as smooth as the other two. I was also wondering if you can freeze this mozzarella? I would really like to try it on my pizzas Tuesday, but am afraid to keep it that long. I am going to make some Caprese Salad tomorrow, because I love your recipe for the fresh mozzarella..I admire you for making your own mozzarella to put on your pizzas. It didnít take really long, but there were a lot of dishes to clean up. From the time started getting everything together until finished takes awhile. I also had to clean up my floor because when I was stretching it, I guess the whey dripped on my floor. Thank you very much for the recipe.Norma

Looks like you did a great job for your first time making mozzarella. What I do is heat a chunk of curd up in the microwave(i use a cereal bowl and the microwave is 1100 watts)for around 50-53 seconds. I pour off the whey and then salt the curds with sea salt before stretching. I stretch and fold over on it's self a few times and then force through my thumb and index finger into a tight ball and pinch the end. Then I plunge into ice water(not salted). I let it sit for a half an hour or so and then I take it out of the water, dry it with paper towel and vacuum pack it. This has made a big difference in my cheese. It melts better and maintains the fresh flavor much longer than when I use to keep it in water or brine. I will try and take photos next time I make cheese. Again, you did a great job! Much better than my first attempt! Terry

Looks like you did a great job for your first time making mozzarella. What I do is heat a chunk of curd up in the microwave(i use a cereal bowl and the microwave is 1100 watts)for around 50-53 seconds. I pour off the whey and then salt the curds with sea salt before stretching. I stretch and fold over on it's self a few times and then force through my thumb and index finger into a tight ball and pinch the end. Then I plunge into ice water(not salted). I let it sit for a half an hour or so and then I take it out of the water, dry it with paper towel and vacuum pack it. This has made a big difference in my cheese. It melts better and maintains the fresh flavor much longer than when I use to keep it in water or brine. I will try and take photos next time I make cheese. Again, you did a great job! Much better than my first attempt! Terry

tdeane,Thank you for giving me more instructions for making the fresh mozzarella. I think I just got carried away with stretching the mozzarella. I appreciate you telling me how to stretch and fold over a few times though my thumb and index finer. I put the mozzarella into really cold, but not ice water. Your advise to use sea salt will also be helpful. I never thought of using that. I didnít dry it with a paper towel either. I also didnít vacuum pack it. Another great tip. I just put it in saran wrap. My microwave is really ancient. I got it probably more then 30 years ago when I worked for RCA and got it in their family store. Miraculous how it is still working. I did microwave various times and used my probe candy combination oil thermometer until I got the temperature to 135 degrees F. I had put all the curds in a glass bowl and microwaved the whole works at a time. The explanation of only putting a chunk of curds in the microwave at a time is helpful, too. Thank you for taking the time to look over my photos and explaining the process of making fresh mozzarella more to me. All your detailed instructions will help me when I try to make mozzarella, again.Wishing you continued success in your business. Norma

tdeane,I did freeze two balls of the fresh mozzarella. I decided to try a pizza out of a small 4 oz. dough ball I had left from last week. I went overboard on adding the diced mozzarella. I just wanted to see how it really tasted on a pizza. I was pleased how it melted on the pizza. On these pictures of the mozzarella melted, the mozzarella looks like a melted mess. I also wanted to see how the mozzarella would stretch on the finished pizza. Next week I will try to remember to take the remaining mozzarella ball along and try it on my 16" pie. Next time I will just add what I would think would be enough for the pie.The fresh mozzarella tasted yummy! Thanks,Norma

We got some new ingredients that i am pretty excited about. I am blending the flour with our regular strong bread flour and it has definitely improved our crust. The oil is excellent! Nice and fruity. The tomatoes are more of a lateral move(imo) but are very good.

brayshaw

Tdeane, do you add much to the tomatoes to make your sauce? At the moment I am using San Marzano tomatoes, tuscan evoo, salt and a pinch of oregano and it's a very full flavoured sauce IMO, just wondered what others do?

Terry,Your new ingredients look impressive. By combining your new flour and your strong bread flour, do you find you get something like DiFari's pizza in the taste of the crust? When you have time, could you explain what a fruity taste is like in the new olive oil you purchased? I just use Filippo Berio olive oil and have never tried a more expensive olive oil. Sounds like you are taking your pizza to the next level.Now you are really making me want to try your pizza..lol..could you send me a slice over the internet. Post some pictures of your crust when you have time.Thanks,Norma

Tdeane, do you add much to the tomatoes to make your sauce? At the moment I am using San Marzano tomatoes, tuscan evoo, salt and a pinch of oregano and it's a very full flavoured sauce IMO, just wondered what others do?

Terry,Your new ingredients look impressive. By combining your new flour and your strong bread flour, do you find you get something like DiFari's pizza in the taste of the crust? When you have time, could you explain what a fruity taste is like in the new olive oil you purchased? I just use Filippo Berio olive oil and have never tried a more expensive olive oil. Sounds like you are taking your pizza to the next level.Now you are really making me want to try your pizza..lol..could you send me a slice over the internet. Post some pictures of your crust when you have time.Thanks,Norma

Dom uses a pretty quick dough made with fresh yeast and I use a 2 day cold rise sourdough so it's pretty hard to compare them. Blending the flour has made more of a difference in texture than in taste. Dom uses a 70% Caputo/30% high gluten flour blend, I use almost the reverse. I started at 70% strong bread flour/30% Caputo but have been tweaking the amounts. The last batch of dough I made was about 55% sb flour and 45% Caputo. I have also adjusted the hydration of the dough accordingly.

It's an Earth food. They are called Swedish meatballs. It's a strange thing, but every sentient race has its own version of these Swedish meatballs! I suspect it's one of those great universal mysteries which will either never be explained, or which would drive you mad if you ever learned the truth.

Tdeane,congratulations on making your own fior di latte. I make it from curd which I buy for $2.25 lb. Other than making any amount that you want have you found any advantage in price or otherwise to make it from scratch? My only problem is that I have to buy curd in boxes of 42lbs. Thanks

Tdeane,congratulations on making your own fior di latte. I make it from curd which I buy for $2.25 lb. Other than making any amount that you want have you found any advantage in price or otherwise to make it from scratch? My only problem is that I have to buy curd in boxes of 42lbs. Thanks

Well the biggest advantage is freshness but it is cheaper as well. Even making it from milk I can't make it as cheap as you do from curd. That is a great price, $2.25 a pound.